


Flag Day

by SuccinctDisquisition



Series: The Avengers Assemble in Bed Universe [11]
Category: Avengers, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Set between the second and third chapters of Work in Progress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-02
Updated: 2015-06-02
Packaged: 2018-04-02 13:23:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4061578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuccinctDisquisition/pseuds/SuccinctDisquisition
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick needs to know where Dr. Banner stands with the Avengers. Unfortunately, he has to give up an ace to see what cards the doctor is playing with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flag Day

Fury glared blankly at his dull reflection in the polished steel wall. Barton and Romanov he was accustomed to. Even Stark did not have his own particular breed of difficult that made keeping composure a challenge. No. Nick would never admit it, but it was the other three Avengers that were really capable of getting under his skin. Captain Rogers' uncanny sense of justice left the man only mostly predictable in field. Thor wasn't even human. How was Nick supposed to trust that?

And Banner. 

Dr. Banner was a caged animal just waiting to be set loose and run. The question was, where would he go and would anyone get bitten on the way? Banner was worrisome in ways Stark wished he could affect the director of SHIELD. The quiet man used his genius tactically and in ways nigh unforeseeable. Banner was an unaccountable variable and Fury hated independent variables he couldn't count on. 

"Director, the target is within range." Hill reported dutifully, still acting as if the Avenger was their greatest enemy. That was one of the only things he knew was untrue about the unreliable doctor. 

Nick frowned. "I know. Leave me. This visit is unsupervised and off the record."

"Sir." Hill responded dutifully though he knew she did not approve. Nick could hear agents beyond the crack in the door to his office whispering about how creepy he was. He felt steeled by the notion his own agents feared him. Banner was no match for SHIELD in all of its might. Banner was no match for the Avengers. That was what the director kept telling himself as he went over all green security protocols for the New York facility in his mind. 

He was sitting behind his desk facing the large double pane window by the time he heard a deceptively meek voice at the door. "Director Fury, are you here?"

Nick swung around in his comfortable leather chair to examine the disheveled doctor. Banner's dark hair was fluffed on the sides indicating his nervous tick of running his hands through it in trepidation. The white man had a new age sort of loose Hindi shirt on, mismatched with his khaki slacks and loafers. At least the physicist appeared to be better fed since moving into Stark's tower. 

"Take a seat Doctor." Nick ordered before steepling his fingers before his face. 

Banner shook his head looking centered rather than particularly nervous. He was not as hunched into himself as before either. "I'd rather stand if it's the same with you, director."

The one eyed man nodded, reaching into his desk for his portable scrambler, noting that the scientist didn't even flinch at the move. "Seems all that yoga training was good to you." He said, turning on the faintly buzzing device. "But you're not here for small talk, are you Dr. Banner."

Banner sat calmly in one of the twin chairs and folded his hands in his lap. "I hoped not. It was quite a walk for small talk sir."

Nick quirked a small smile at that. "No. We found something of yours. I wanted to see you got it back myself." He pulled a dingy military green duffle bag from behind his desk and dropped it at the doctor's feet, ignoring the dust that was cast off of it. 

That shook up the yogi. Banner's breath caught a moment and his eyes told a million stories of interrupted research. SHIELD did not immediately place the notes as belonging to Bruce Banner. They both knew what would happen if that bag made it into the wrong hands. That was, if anyone could understand enough of the doctor's miserable scrawl. 

Banner's brow creased. "I thought that was destroyed in the fire."

"You meant to destroy it in the fire." Fury corrected. 

"Why are you giving this to me now?" Curious brown eyes peered into Nick's. 

Nick relaxed back into his chair, fingering his jawline pretending to think about the matter. "I believe you've proved what side you're on Dr. Banner."

Banner shook his head. "I am not on SHIELD's side."

One powerful eye pinned the scientist as easily as needles in a moth. "Consider it a gift then, if you will. Happy Flag Day."

Banner blinked dumbly for a moment. "You're just... Giving this to me?"

Nick nodded and made a shooing motion to the physicist. "That's right. And if you want to keep it, you might want to take it away while I'm still in the Flag Day mood."

Banner grabbed the item quickly. "Thank you Director Fury. Happy Flag Day." The physicist said bowing back out of the room. 

As Nick clicked off the scrambler, Hill returned. "Sir, what was that? On Banner's back?" She questioned. 

"A Flag Day Present, Hill."

The woman did a double take at the door. "But it isn't Flag Day."

Nick sent the woman a controlled look. "Oh well." Nick smiled to himself when she turned away. The more he pushed the doctor, the more Banner would show his true colors. If the Hulk was going to disappear, Nick rather it be sooner than later when the world really needed him. It would only be a matter of time now. Nick would know once and for all what Bruce Banner stood for.


End file.
